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NIA fosters the development of research and clinician scientists in the following areas: genetic, biological, clinical, epidemiological, neuroscience, behavioral, social, and economic research on aging, both basic and translational.
In support of this goal, NIA funds several Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSAs) for predoctoral and postdoctoral researchers, as well as additional mechanisms to support graduate researchers. On this page you can click on the title of each award below for details, learn where to find answers to your questions , and find out how to apply .
New Application and Review Process
Effective for receipt dates on or after January 25, 2025, fellowship review criteria have been revised. Read about changes to the fellowship review criteria and changes to fellowship applications .
Interested in learning more? Review the official notice NOT-OD-24-107: Implementation of Revisions to the NIH and AHRQ Fellowship Application and Review Process .
| Career Stage | Number | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dual-Degree Students | F30 | Individual Fellowship for Students at Institutions with NIH-funded Dual-Degree Programs | Dual-degree students who have chosen a research lab; No more than 48 months after matriculation. |
| Dual-Degree Students | F30 | Individual Fellowship for Students at Institutions without NIH-funded Dual-Degree Programs | Dual-degree students who have chosen a research lab; No more than 48 months after matriculation. |
| Pre-doctoral Students | F31 | Individual Predoctoral Fellowship | PhD students at the dissertation stage (after qualifying exam). |
| Postdoctoral Researchers | F32 | Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship | Postdoctoral researchers |
| Postdoctoral Researchers | F32 BRAIN | BRAIN Initiative Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship | Final-year PhD students and first-year postdoctoral researchers.Neuroscience of aging research. |
| Career Stage | Number | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Predoc - Postdoc Transition Award | F99/K00 | Transition to Aging Research for Predoctoral Students | PhD students at the dissertation stage *in any discipline* who will pursue a postdoc in aging research. |
| Dual-Degree Students | FM-1 | NIH Medical Scientist Partnership Program | For students applying to or in the first year of clinical or dual-degree programs |
Questions?
Many answers to your Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) policy questions can be found in the NRSA section of the NIH Grants Policy Statement .
If you have further questions about NRSAs or other awards, please contact NIATraining@mail.nih.gov . If you would like feedback on whether your research area is appropriate for the NIA, please include a one-page summary of your Specific Aims.
How to Apply
Detailed application instructions can be found in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for each fellowship, and in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guides for fellowships (F30, 31, 32, 33, 99) and research grants (R36 only).
There are three options available to submit your application to NIH:
- NIH ASSIST: Use the NIH ASSIST system to prepare and submit your application, and track its progress through the review process after submission.
- Grants.gov: Use Grants.gov to prepare and submit your application. (Perform an “Opportunity Number” search using the fellowship's NOFO, or follow the Grants.gov link found in the fellowship's NOFO.); Then, use eRA Commons to track your application's progress through the review system.
- System-to-System: Your institution may have a system-to-system (S2S) solution to prepare and submit your application. Check with your institutional officials regarding availability. Then, use eRA Commons to track your application’s progress through the review process.
Which Submission Option is Right for Me?
To choose the submission method that is best for you, consult with your institution's grant office or read more information from the NIH Office of Extramural Research .
What Are My Chances of Succeeding?
Find success rates at Success Rates on NIH's RePORT .
What is the ORCID ID Requirement?
As described in this notice , all applicants for individual Fellowship awards are required to have an ORCID ID, which is a unique digital identifier for an individual researcher. Registration for an ORCID ID takes only a few minutes.
Resubmission
Revising and resubmitting an unfunded application is highly encouraged, and can result in a higher chance of receiving funding. Find tips on resubmission . However, you cannot have two applications active under the same Notice of Funding Opportunity. If you wish to resubmit an application, you will need to wait to receive a summary statement from the original submission.
Duplication of Effort
NIA will not support fellowship applications if the specific aims, questions being asked or approach to answering a specific question are fundamentally identical to those already proposed in the mentor's grants.